March 18, 2004

Go for the Gust-o!

A gust of wind ferociously blew outside Barton Hall as plenty of students gathered on Sunday night for the Guster and Rufus Wainwright concert. Despite its inconvenient timing during prelim hell week (I myself have two and am barely functioning except for the fact that next week is spring break), a sizable number of concert goers came to hear the two acclaimed acts. The turnout was, surprisingly, Guster’s fifth largest concert in ticket sales ever, a stat that lead singer Ryan Miller boasted in between songs.

When the house lights dimmed, a shortly cropped Wainwright took to the center of the stage to sit at a piano. Dressed in a white tunic and with one stage light shining on his delicate frame bearing the resemblance of a dim halo, Wainwright looked angelic and fragile amidst the sea of darkness. Without surreal lighting effects or backup performers, Wainwright opted for a minimalist set, either seated at the keys, or strumming on an acoustic guitar. There was the obligatory verbal discourse with the audience, and Wainwright seemed at ease with his banter as he made light of Barton as a venue choice (apparently military paraphernalia turns him on

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Coming off its first win of the season last Sunday at Rutgers, the women’s lacrosse team (1-3) will pack its bags to head south to Nashville, Tenn. for spring break. However, instead of an enjoying relaxing week of sun and country music, the Red will square off against No. 10 Vanderbilt on Sunday, before playing Ohio State at the neutral site Tuesday. The team’s break slate culminates in the Red’s first Ivy matchup, a home contest against Penn on March 27 at noon. The Red’s play has been on a noticeable upswing over the last two games, and individual standouts have abounded on this very young squad. Junior Kristen Smith was recognized as the Tompkins Trust Company Cornell Athlete of the Week for netting seven goals in two games. At the other end of the field, sophomore Lyndsay Robinson garnered an Ivy Defensive Player of the Week honor for her smothering coverage of Rutgers’s leading scorer, Maggie Bopp. Head coach Jenny Graap ’86 also had praise for sophomore goalkeeper Maggie Fava, who compiled 10 saves in only her second career start against the high-scoring Scarlet Knights. The upcoming games present no easy task. Sunday’s match at Vanderbilt (4-1, 1-0 American Lacrosse Conference) pits the Red against a Commodore team that trounced New Hampshire, 10-3, this week, allowing no second-half goals. Graap recognizes Vanderbilt’s solid defense, but feels that their opponents’ lack of scoring is more a result of the Commodores’ own explosive offense. “Their biggest strengths are their weapons on the attack,” Graap said. “It’s going to be a very defensive battle for us, and we’re going to need our key defenders to play really well.” The Red cruised to a 14-6 home victory against Vanderbilt last season, but their 2003 matchup against Ohio State proved to be heartbreaking. Graap believes that her team’s 11-10 overtime loss, which saw the Buckeyes claw back from a three-goal deficit with 10 minutes to play, might have cost the Red an NCAA tournament bid. The Red has had a year to prepare for the rematch, and the coach thinks her team is ready. “We learned that Ohio State is really scrappy and they’re never going to give up,” she said. “This year we’re preparing for the physical nature of the play. It’ll be tough for us because we’re on spring break and we’ll only have one day to prepare [after the Vanderbilt game], but I think we’ll have a lot of emotion working in our favor. ” For Smith, the two-game Nashville swing should provide further opportunity for the young Red players to grow closer and more cohesive as a team. “I think it will allow us to get to know each other better off the field, which can only help our play on the field,” she said. “The week will be important for allowing us to focus on improving at lacrosse, without worrying about academics and other outside pressures. ” The Red will face the Buckeyes (1-3, 0-2 ALC) next Tuesday before returning to Ithaca for the Saturday visit from Penn (4-2). Even though the Quakers have already fallen to Red-victim Rutgers, Graap knows that anything can happen in any given game. “We have to make our mark and perform well against Ivy opponents if we want to have any hopes of the postseason,” Graap said. “We need to be ready for a feisty Quaker team.”Archived article by Dan SchiffSun Staff Writer

Today, I was supposed to start off my Spring Break by getting in my car and driving to Albany to cover the ECAC championships with my fellow Sunnies. We had it all mapped out — the driving arrangements, the accommodations — everything. The men’s hockey team was supposed to play Dartmouth in the semifinals for a chance to play the winner of the Colgate-Harvard game tomorrow night. This was supposed to be Cornell’s chance at repeating as conference champions and at making it to a third consecutive NCAA tournament. But none of that’s happening because of two of the worst performances I’ve seen put forth by a Cornell team during my four years here on the East Hill. The season wasn’t supposed to end that way. I almost could have accepted defeat in Albany. Almost. But to have the season end at Lynah Rink? What about the “Thank you, seniors” chants? What about hopping onto the ice to congratulate the players on a job well done? During head coach Mike Schafer’s ’86 tenure at Cornell, his teams have been known for their tough defense and strong work ethic. Sure, Schafer’s teams haven’t always been the most talented, and at times, have been downright anemic on the offensive end. And this was just one of those years, when the offense, despite generating a ton of scoring chances, had a hard time finding the back of the net against teams not named Princeton. But regardless of the opponent or the score, you could always count on a yeoman-like effort on the ice, whether it be finishing off checks, forechecking, or winning the battles along the boards. Cornell definitely suffered its fair share of setbacks during the course of the season, including disappointing results against Western Michigan, Mercyhurst, Bowling Green, Ohio State and a rough stretch in the middle of its conference slate. But you could never say that Cornell was simply outworked. That is, until last Saturday and Sunday. After the Red dismantled Clarkson on Friday night, I was almost positive the series was over. It was, “Albany, here I come.” Unfortunately, the Red was probably thinking the same thing. How is it possible that a team that allowed an average of less than two goals a game give up 10 in two nights? And how did Clarkson manage to net three goals in a period in consecutive games against a Cornell defense that had only let that happen one other time this year? Shorthanded goals, poor power play execution, numerous odd-man rushes? What the heck went on? Quite simply, Cornell didn’t show up. Maybe it was the absence of injured senior captain Ryan Vesce. Maybe it was overconfidence after the first game. I just don’t know. All I know is that Clarkson broke my heart and ended Cornell’s season by “out-Cornell-ing” Cornell. Of course, there is hope for the future. Freshman netminder David McKee, showed that goalies from Texas can be pretty darn good. When the trio of sophomores Matt Moulson and Shane Hynes and freshman Byron Bitz played together on a line, they were one of the best I saw all season. Chris and Cam Abbott still have that sixth sense for each other, while vets like juniors Mike Iggulden, Mike Knoepfli, Charlie Cook, and Jeremy Downs will have one extra year under their belts. And how about freshman Mitch Carefoot, who scored two big goals during the playoff series? Meanwhile, fellow rookie Mark McCutcheon, who I contend has the best natural instincts of any player on the team, went from a skinny kid who could be blown over by a gust of wind to a guy looking for some rough stuff by season’s end. Just give the kid a summer and watch out. For all the promise the future holds, I’m still looking for something to do this first weekend of Spring Break … *** I’d like to take this opportunity to extend my condolences to the family and friends of fallen men’s lacrosse player George Boiardi ’04. I never knew George, but like many others on this campus, am shocked and saddened by his sudden and tragic passing. As a writer and then as an editor for The Sun, I’ve had the privilege to interact with many athletes and coaches during my four years at Cornell. As such, I understand the hard work and sacrifice that our student-athletes put forth year round not only to represent themselves and their respective teams, but to represent all Cornellians. Thanks George … we know you’re in a better place. — Alex Ip is formerly the Sun Sports Editor. In Your Cup will appear every other Friday this semester. Alex can be contacted at aci2@cornell.edu.Archived article by Alex Ip